KOTA KINABALU, Sept 11 — Sixty per cent of the nearly 100,000 applications received for the first phase of the PerantiSiswa Keluarga Malaysia (Malaysian Family Student Device) programme was approved through initial screening and the devices will be distributed this month, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa.

He said the ministry was trying to complete the rollout of the devices under phase one by this month, before starting on the rollout for phase two next month and completing it this November.

"Almost 400,000 units will be distributed this year, if we need more than that, the government will have to decide on an additional allocation and procurement, but let us settle with what we have now.

"We hope to complete distribution under phases one and two in 90 days, and this will involve the cooperation of several parties in order to cut red tape and expedite the rollout, for the students to have the devices immediately,” he told reporters here today.

He said this after a ceremony to handover the devices to 493 students of Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic in Sepanggar here which was also attended by Sabah Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Yakub Khan.

Annuar said the rollout of the devices must be expedited and a distribution schedule has been prepared to coordinate with suppliers, especially in Sabah and Sarawak due to the logistics challenges in the interior areas.

On September 3, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob launched the PerantiSiswa Keluarga Malaysia initiative to provide branded tablets to B40 students in need.

The Samsung tablet model was chosen for the programme after the company won the tender to supply the devices for the Sabah and Sarawak, North, Central, East and South zones.

Annuar said the remaining 40 per cent of the applications under phase one, including appeal cases, were being reviewed to ensure that only those eligible receive the aid.

He said for the appeal screening process, the Student Representative Council (SRC) at the respective educational institutions and school administrators have been entrusted to vet the appeals before the ministry approves the application.

"Should the SRC and administrators come across students who are eligible but their application was rejected due to various reasons, we will give leeway, our aim is to give it to as many eligible students as possible.

"Many have applied but if they don’t qualify we are not able to give them because we have been entrusted to help the B40 families with a household income of RM5,000 and below,” he said. — Bernama